Today's hectic lifestyle seems to have taken a toll on everyone. Adding to this is the extreme expectation towards one another. This calls on for a complete mind body and soul harmony.

Today if there is stress on one hand, the other hand is filled with options galore to ease your tension away. One of them is Taichi.

The gentle flowing movements help in relaxing every muscle and easing body mind coordination. Unlike yoga, where every posture involves holding for a few seconds this practice is completely different. It is also called.meditation in motion. It involves dance like movements which are very serene and make the mind and body relaxed.

Benefits of Taichi

Since this is a practice meant to focus on breathing it is helpful in reducing stress and relaxes the mind and body. While you are practicing the exercise you are complexly focusing on the area which is worked on. Thus the benefits of attaining results are higher as compared to any other high strenuous exercise.

The best part is that the people in the older age group find maximum benefits because of the low impact and less strain on their muscles. There is minimal stress on their joints and muscles. Researchers have found this as a unique phenomenon for relaxing the mind, body and soul.

It has several other benefits such as:

Increasing flexibility

Reducing stress

Increasing well being

Reducing depression

Increase stamina and well being

Improving muscle strength

Originated in China since 2.000 years, it was primarily meant for defense mechanism, but gradually other countries also got inspired with it and learnt the art of fine attunement.

Learning Taichi is not that difficult. Only the movements have to be gradually and gently slide to other movements in rhythmic form without pausing. It involves gentle stretching and exercise. The wonderful aspect is that anyone can learn it regardless to age. It emphasizes technique over strength.

Taichi has 100 movements and actions. There is a vast variety of actions and you are free to choose any style you want. Some of the movements are fast paced while others are slow paced. Depending upon your likeability you can chose any style you want. The main focus however is on the breathing pattern which has to be rhythmic and gradual. It is advisable to consult your doctor if you have any past medical problems related with spine, heart or joints since this involves movements that require you to be able to sustain the pattern properly.

How to learn the art:

It is advisable to wear loose comfortable clothing to feel free while practicing the art.

Tai chi requires a special qualified instructor to guide you in the practice. Practicing taichi under his supervision would help you to avoid any injuries and coordinate yourself. Practicing taichi without any supervision would lead to injuries since you might lose your balance. You might also over stretch or overdo leading to complexities. Therefore it is very important to practice under supervision.

It is recommended to learn in a group. This will help you to understand the system better and make the class seem more fun and non monotonous.

Where to practice

The best part is that it can be practiced anywhere. In the open or within the secure boundaries of your home. The main aim is to provide to fitness to your body wherever you are. Regular practice can ensure faster results as compared to random practice.

The five elements pertaining to taichi: the elements in our anatomy help in understanding the weak areas and how we can make them strong by Taichi. Since the elements in nature are attuned with our body it is important to understand its impact and how we can minimize any weakness of that area by Taichi.

Water: It has tremendous softness. It prevails without doing. The emotion pertain to water is courage and if this element is lacking, there is fear inside the person. Weakness can lead to a weak bladder, back pain or sore knees. The memory and concentration is also affected.

Wood: It has flexibility and controls judgment and strategy. It is helpful in giving direction to life. The emotion of wood is anger. People who have anger are often seen with two furrows in between their eyes. This show the domination of anger in their lives. The sense organ is the eyes.

Fire: The mind or consciousness is dominated by fire which controls the blood and blood vessels. It is associated with relationship towards one and others. The sense organ is the tongue.

Earth: Its function includes transformation. The focus and the intellect come under this category. Imbalance in this form can lead to worry. Ti also dominated muscle coordination.

Air: It governs the exterior and letting go. It comprises of breathing. Sense organ is the nose.

The benefits of taich are long-lasting. Complete faith and patience in the art is a must before starting this practice. Since it is a gradual process, the results are not as fast as other forms of exercise but it definitely promises long term mind body soul coordination.